Love Survives
by AJ Cooper
Summary: When Loretta is hurt, with no way off of Planet Talion, she's saved from someone least unexpected. When Grendel saves Loretta, she surprises even herself, by caring for the young girl. Join the Mission Specialist and Grendel herself, through trails and tribulations, like you've never seen before and watch as love blossoms between Friend and Foe. CHARACTERS DO NOT BELONG TO ME.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE**

Loretta hissed in pain, as she pulled herself out of the cave. She mentally swore at herself, for not telling Miles her plan in case anything happened to her, and for forgetting about her Quest Com on the _Zenith_.

She laughed at herself, for thinking it was a good idea to jump seven feet across an open Ravine, not even thinking twice about the consequences of her irrational thinking.

"You've outdone yourself this time, Loretta Callisto," she said to herself and fell back and brought her hands down on her face, tiredly.

Suddenly, Loretta saw a few pebbles drop from the rock wall above. She looked up and immediately realized the danger she was in. Climbing down the wall, was none other than Grendel the Militilsa herself.

Once Grendel landed, she looked down at Loretta and smiled, amusingly. "Well, well, well, looks like the Mission Specialist had gotten herself in what you humans say, a bit of a pickle?" she asked, and chuckled.

Loretta shot her daggers and hissed again when she propped herself up on the rock wall behind her, the jagged edges clawing at her back, relentlessly. "Here to finish me off?" she asked the villain, not caring to look up at the surprised look she had gotten in return.

Grendel shook her head, "Now, why would I do that, if it was easy enough to leave you down here, for the Diamond Backs to be the ones to finish you off?" she knelt and carefully inspected Loretta's leg.

Loretta groaned softly at the touch and rested her head back, slightly out of breath. Then, to make matters worse, she heard a loud hiss from the opening of the cave. "Well, that just got a whole lot harder for your rescue" she said, looking at Grendel from the corner of her eye.

Grendel took out her pen and created a splint for Loretta's leg. She took it and created two rolls of bandages to wrap them around the splint and went to work.

Loretta looked back at the mouth of the cave and saw a diamond-shaped head of a Diamond Back. Its pearly colored diamond-shaped pattern noticeable, as it slithered back and forth, to its potential meal.

Finally, Grendel was done. She picked Loretta up bridal style and summoned her wings. With one hard flap of her wings, she carried her to the safety of the ravine, far enough away from the Diamond Back.

She gently laid Loretta down, causing the teenage Mission Specialist to sigh in content to be on softer ground. She turned around and looked down, at the irritated Diamond Back, who couldn't eat his lunch. It gave her an angry hiss, before slithering back into the mouth of the cave.

Loretta looked at Grendel, with bewilderment. "Why did you save me?" she asked. Grendel turned around, before shrugging and answering, "I couldn't just leave you down there. What kind of opponent am I, for doing such a thing?" Loretta gave her a look, but, let it go for now. She already knew not to push for answers out of the female knight.

Grendel walked back over and knelt. She inspected her handiwork, with a smile. "Good news. It's not a severe fracture. But, you do need to stay off your leg, for a time" she said, not missing the irritated sigh of the teenage girl, which caused her to smirk.

She picked Loretta up again and flew them away from the ravine. They landed next to her Photon Flyer. Both looked at the Flyer and had the same thing on their minds. _We need to stay_.

Loretta looked at Grendel, then sighed angerly. She didn't like this, surviving out here, on Planet Talion, with the villain her own brother accidently created.

Grendel looked down and could see Loretta processing her thoughts, before sighing in defeat. "Alright. Guess, we're stuck here" the Mission Specialist said, before pouting in defeat. Grendel chuckled at the sight and carried her to a nearby tree.

"Will you behave enough for me gather wood for a fire, Loretta?" Grendel asked. Loretta's head snapped in her direction. "How did you know my name?" she asked, her voice trembling. The female knight shrugged and answered, "I was basically created by your brother, remember?" Loretta nodded, then closed her eyes, for some much-needed rest.

Soon, Grendel was back from collecting firewood, and got a fire going for both. She looked at Loretta and smiled, before going over and creating a blanket from her pen and laid it on her, while she was sleeping. She walked over to another three and settled down, her sword on her lap, and continued to watch the teenager sleep. Within an hour, Grendel too succumbed to slumber.

ΩΩΩ

Loretta was awoken to Skrillers chirping. She looked around and noticed a Skriller on Grendel's head and was looking at her, curiously. Its moonlight black head, darting back and forth, questionably, as it snapped its beak. Loretta covered her mouth to not wake the female knight and scare off the young Skriller. The Skriller squawked in alarm, as Grendel stirred and flew back to the safety of the trees.

It was a few minutes before Grendel opened her eyes and looked at Loretta. She smiled and got up, then noticed the amusement in the Mission Specialist's eyes. "What?" she asked, and it wasn't long before the teenage girl burst out laughing.

Grendel shook her head and sighed, before noticing that the fire was out. She walked around, being sure to stay close to Loretta, if the young girl was foolish enough to try to stand and collected more wood for the fire.

When she came back, she stopped and watched as Loretta interacted with a Skriller chick. She was crooning and petting its head, causing it to squawk in content at the attention it was receiving. Grendel looked around and couldn't see its mother, but knew it was quietly watching with interest.

She waited for a few more minutes, before clearing her throat. The chick squawked and flew back into the trees. Loretta smiled, watching it go, before repositioning herself and looked at Grendel.

The female knight smirked and started up the fire. She began taking a stick and started to bend it. Loretta was intrigued and asked, "What are you making?" Grendel paused, only taking a moment to look at the young girl, her green eyes flickering back and forth, slightly. "I'm making a bow. You need to eat" she answered. Loretta nodded and looked at the treetops and smiled.

Soon, Grendel was done with the bow and was already finished with several arrows. She got up, took the arrows and holstered them to her belt, before picking up the bow. She looked back at Loretta, who was once again in the company of the Skriller chick, its bright blue eyes had a gleam in them and the mother was on a branch above her, watching.

Grendel chuckled, before walking into the wilderness, now on the hunt for food for Loretta.

She came upon a herd of Wildebeests and took aim at one of the youngest. She stopped inching forward when one of the females perked her head up, before going back to eating. Grendel took a few deep breaths, before releasing the arrow. It streaked across the plains and hit the heart of the young wildebeest. As it stumbled, the rest of the herd took off running. She waited until the herd was gone, before going over and started to collect the meat.

ΩΩΩ

When she arrived back to the camp site, Loretta was fast asleep, with the chick curled on her shoulder, the mother sleeping on the branch. She carefully put down the meat she was able to carry and put the firewood in the fire.

She was just about done with the meat, when Loretta stirred, the chick stretching out its blue and red feathered body, as it yawned, and stood. Loretta opened her eyes and watched as the female knight got a piece of cooked meat and gave it to the teenage girl. She produced a fork and a knife for Loretta to use and cut off a piece and started feeding it to the chick.

There was still a big piece of meat left on Loretta's plate, but, Grendel could tell she was done. Loretta didn't know what to do with it, so, she gave it to the female knight. At first, Grendel objected, but, she knew how stubborn the young Callisto was of getting her way, so she took it and soon finished the portion she didn't eat.

Night started to fall, so Grendel collected some more firewood for the night and laid Loretta down. She went back to her previous place, in the same position and watched as the young girl played a little with the chick, before settling down and falling asleep with the chick on her chest. With that peace of mind, of her safe, the female knight succumbed to slumber once more.

ΩΩΩ

Grendel woke up and saw Loretta was already awake, working on something, the chick watching, clearly intrigued on her shoulder.

She looked around and saw that most of the firewood was already in the fire. She got up and asked, "What are you doing, Loretta?" Loretta stopped what she was doing and looked at the female knight, with a slight annoyance.

"I'm working on a fish net. We need fish. Especially for Stardust" she explained, pointing at the Skriller chick, who was staring intently at Grendel.

Grendel only responded with a raise of an eyebrow and caused Loretta to return her attention to the fish net. "Yes, I named her Stardust. Her mother left her here for me to take care of her" she said, never taking her eyes of the task.

Grendel nodded, before creating a few glass jugs to fill with water. She knew Loretta was safe, so she went to a nearby natural spring, and slowly filled the jugs with the water.

She went back and noticed Loretta had made several more. She set down the jugs and sat with the teenage girl, who only grunted in response.

When she touched Loretta's arms, she realized she must be freezing. So, she got up and put more firewood into the fire, before sitting back down in her place next to Loretta and put an arm around her.

She smiled when she didn't push her arm off her in disgust and didn't see the smile that was on the Mission Specialist's face.

Stardust wanted some of the attention too. She squawked bitterly, desperately trying to capture Loretta's attention. The young girl looked down and smiled, lovingly at the Skriller chick, before she started to pet her head. Stardust chirped and closed her eyes, wanting more pettings.

Grendel silently watched the interaction with a smile. She looked at Loretta with a love she never knew she could have for anyone, much less an enemy.

After a few minutes, Loretta looked up and green eyes met red eyes. Grendel was the one who broke the gaze and got up and put another piece of meat on the fire to cook.

After dinner, night began to fall once more, but tonight was different. As Grendel got herself situated, Loretta crawled over, minding her leg injury and crawled on to the female knight's lap. She rested her head on her chest and closed her eyes and smiled.

Grendel looked down and smiled. She wrapped her arms around the Mission Specialist, protectively. She watched as the teenager fell asleep, Stardust sleeping on the branch above them. She closed her eyes and began to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

When Grendel awoke the following morning, she found Loretta's hand on her chest. She blushed and didn't want to wake the sleeping girl, so, she went back to sleep.

An hour later, she awoke to Loretta moving. She opened her eyes and saw that Loretta was trying to stand.

Grendel was beside her in an instant. Loretta looked at her and smiled warmly, briefly "I'm fine, Grendel. I know you're just trying to help" she said, and the knight nodded, still worried that the young Callisto will hurt herself, unintentionally.

Grendel walked slowly, yet cautiously beside Loretta, just in case she fell. As she was doing so, she kept thinking about the close call she and the Mission Specialist had the previous night. _Am I, falling for her? But she's only seventeen!_ She shook her thoughts away and continued to help.

Soon, Loretta was almost walking by herself and that surprised both. As she was walking, she was lost in her own thoughts. Her mind drifted to the female knight. Her red eyes were unnoticeably filled with a wildfire, unable to be tamed. She loved the knight's voice, it would lull her to sleep when it was whispering and her physical features. _I wonder what it'll be like, to have those hands on me. Wait, Loretta, snap out of it!_ She shook her head to clear away the thoughts and stopped to catch her breath.

Grendel stopped and looked at her. She helped her sit down, leaning against a tree and sat down beside her.

Loretta absently leaned her head on the knight's shoulder, as she took a few deep breaths, while holding her injured leg.

Grendel looked down and noticed the pain the human was in. She touched Loretta's knee and was met with a sharp gasp. "That was too much for you, Loretta" she said, and was met with dagger-like eyes.

Loretta couldn't help but, smile at the care the female knight had, she'd never known.

Grendel got lunch cooking, and the two sat and stared at the fire in silence.

Finally, Loretta broke the silence. "Do you believe in true love?" she asked, catching the knight off guard. Grendel snapped her head in the Mission Specialist's direction, her mouth slightly agape.

Loretta looked at Grendel, then looked back at the fire, shrugging. "It's okay, if you don't. I just think it's possible" she said, holding her arms, to warm up.

Grendel noticed, and wrapped an arm around the girl. Loretta smiled and leaned on the knight's shoulder and closed her eyes. "To answer your question, Loretta, I think it's unnecessary to be thinking about true love. But you're right, it's possible" she said, looking down at the young human, who kept staring at the dancing flames of the fire.

When lunch was ready, Stardust came flying down, from her branch and noiselessly snapped her beak, clarifying she was hungry. Grendel chuckled and cut off a piece and fed it too her, before giving the rest to Loretta.

This time, there was medium-sized piece left on the plate, and like last time, the knight ate it, when Loretta gave it to her.

To pass the time, Grendel took Loretta over to a stream, to set the fishing nets the young girl had made. When they awaited to cook dinner, they shared stories, to wait.

Grendel was laughing, and Loretta was chuckling, as she remembered one of the adventures she had with her brother onboard the _Stellosphere_. "Then, we got the ship back to where our parents left it, and ran off to bed" she finished, looking at the red eyes of the female knight.

Grendel didn't say anything, but, stared at the green eyes of the young human. _Now I know._ She broke the gaze and started cooking dinner.

Feeling the awkward silence, Loretta started to pet Stardust. Grendel sighed, causing the Mission Specialist to look at her. "I hope you know the reason why I'm being distant right now, Loretta" she said, and the human nodded in understanding.

Loretta's mind drifted off to her brother. _I know Miles. He'll be looking for me. He always does_.

When dinner was ready, Loretta ate the whole plate, and gave it to the female knight, who washed it off.

Loretta truly wanted to sleep with Grendel, but, she respected the space the knight wanted. She laid down, Stardust on the tree branch above her, and both went to sleep.

Grendel sat down at her usual spot and usual position, then looked at the sleeping human. She regretted being this distant, she knew Loretta wanted to be close to her, to feel the safety she had. But, the knight knew, that would be an advantage, she didn't want to take. She now knew, she was falling in love, but, with an enemy. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, before closing them and surrendering herself to a much-needed rest.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

Miles looked at the Quest Com that belonged to his sister. He set his jaw, before looking at Haruna, and threw him the Quest Com. "Find out where her Flyer is" he ordered, and Haruna nodded, before setting for the task.

Mirandos, the team's most prized engineer, looked at Miles and said, "You know, maybe Loretta is taking a few extra days. She has been under stress for these past few weeks, Miles" Miles looked at her, and relaxed his eyes.

He knew Mirandos was right, why wouldn't she be? But at the same time, Loretta was his sister, his only sister. What if she was hurt, and neither of them knew about it?

"I get that you're worried, Mirandos. But, what if she's hurt? We have to know where she is, and fast" he said, and Mirandos silently agreed. Loretta was her best friend, the only one who ever understood her. Not even the rest of her team, understood.

Haruna turned around, with a toothy grin. "Found her. She's on Planet Talion" he said, and Miles smiled, before taking his place at the pilot controls. "Everyone, to your stations" he ordered, and the other three obeyed.

Soon, they were flying towards Talion, to rescue, not only their member of Mission Force One, but, Miles' sister.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Loretta awoke to Grendel, missing. She immediately sat up, alarmed, before calming down, when she saw the female knight come back with more firewood and fish.

She set the fish down, before putting more firewood on the fire and lighting it. She looked at the young human, and smirked. Loretta slowly stood, stumbling as she did so.

Grendel was immediately at her side once again, which irritated the Mission Specialist. "Grendel," she started, then was quite surprised when the _Zenith_ showed up.

Loretta mentally swore and looked at Grendel, who narrowed her eyes at the approaching ship. _I can't let Miles do something he'll later regret_. Loretta pushed off the trunk of the tree she was using as support and held onto the female knight.

When the rest of her team got off the elevator, Miles looked dangerously at Grendel, who returned the look. Then, he noticed the splint on Loretta's leg. Concern took over. "Loretta, what happened?" he asked, and Loretta looked at Grendel, before looking at Miles.

"Me, being extremely stupid, decided to jump several feet across an open ravine, with no jetpack. I would've been Diamond Back food, if it wasn't for her" she answered, motioning to Grendel, who had a triumphant smirk.

Miles looked at the female knight, before he relaxed. "It's good to see you again, sis. We need to get you to the Mission Center" he said, and Loretta nodded.

She followed the team, before stopping and looking at Grendel, "Well, are you coming?" she asked, and Grendel took Stardust and put her on her shoulder, before following the crew, to the inside of the ship.

Miles watched, with disinterest, as they rose to the heart of the _Zenith_.

Loretta smiled at Grendel, who smiled back. The two laughed as Stardust squawked repeatedly in curiosity. Loretta went to the bridge and saw that Miss Baker was sitting comfortably on her controls. She petted the robot monkey, and she closed her eyes in content. "Miss Baker, meet the new addition of Mission Force One, Stardust" she said, and Miss Baker looked at her confused and startled. She watched as a Skriller chick, fly from Grendel's shoulder, onto Loretta's with ease.

The other members went to their stations and sat, with Grendel standing behind Loretta, who was trying to be mindful of her injury. _Thank god, she can heal fast_ , Miles thought, as he piloted the ship to the Mission Center on Earth.

Since it was going to be an overnight trip, everyone went to bed. Miles ordered that Grendel had stay on the bridge for the night and made sure the Zeno was in charge making sure it happened.

When everyone was in bed, Loretta snuck out to the bridge, to find Grendel still awake. The knight smiled and opened her arms. Loretta laid down and, Grendel wrapped her arms around the human and watched as she fell asleep. She smiled and closed her eyes.

When Miles woke up the next morning, he stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Loretta on top of Grendel, both sleeping. His jaw dropped at the sight and growled.

Loretta and Grendel woke up, and Loretta saw the look on her brother's face. "What the hell, Loretta?! That was an order!" he yelled, before giving an angry look at Grendel, who only raised an eyebrow in return.

Loretta scoffed and rolled her eyes, "You maybe my captain, Miles, but, I'm older than you, by three years" she said. She smirked triumphantly as Miles growled, before storming off, leaving three other teammates confused.

Grendel walked to the kitchen and started preparing breakfast for Loretta and her team.

When breakfast was ready, everyone, minus Miles, sat down and started to eat.

Soon, the Mission Center was in view. Miles contacted Joe about Grendel, and he agreed to come by to arrest her. Loretta was escorted to the infirmary. She gave a silent warning for Grendel to run. The knight nodded and created a diversion for the rest of Mission Force One, to make her escape.

Loretta watched, with a smile on her face, as Grendel escaped once again. _Who knows, maybe I had fallen for Grendel_.


End file.
